Inoccence becomes Experience
by Misao's angel
Summary: Soujiro lost his home, his foster parents... Now he wanders japan in search of his own answer. Or Maybe just for kicks. But all that changes when he meats a mysterious girl one day who is his polar oppisite. Do things get juicy? Read and find out!
1. Default Chapter

Innocence Becomes Experience  
By Misao's Angel  
  
"So Shishio-san is really dead huh?" Soujiro said as he looked  
sorrowfully, or as sorrowful as the emotionless boy can get anyway, at  
the burring building that held the last memories of the man who taught  
him all he knew. "And Yumi-san too..."  
  
The usually cheerful boy stood for a moment, as he began to remember all  
the moments he shared with those two. 'oh well, I was going to leave them  
any way...' The boy thought. 'And there is no point in reminiscing about  
the past or I'd be just like Battousai.'  
  
"Well, I guess It's time I went..." Soujiro decided, while he turned  
towards the tree-lined path leading away from Mount. Hiei, where  
Shishio's hide-out once rested.  
  
The muscular monk standing across from him, Anji the Myouou, asked the  
young Tekken, "Where are you planning to go?"  
  
The prodigy turned only slightly, and with his ever present smile  
replied, "I'm not sure, but if I plan on finding my own answer, I gotta  
go."  
  
And with that, Soujiro left Mt. Hiei, planning to never return again.  
  
That was a week ago.  
  
Now he was wandering around Osaka looking for a place to stay, or some  
thing to do at least. 'Chou was originally from here, wasn't he?' Soujiro  
asked himself as he looked around the market place filled with a mix of  
cheerful sellers and clueless buyers. 'Maybe I'll run into him! Wait!  
Isn't he in jail? Oh yeah! Only Iwanbo and I got away. Figures.' Just  
then, the young swordsman felt a light tap on his back. Turning his  
bewildered head around, Soujiro found the familiar broom-haired man  
smiling at him, Katana-Gari no Chou.  
  
"Never thought I'd see ya over here!" The sword collector from Kansai  
said.  
  
"Chou! I thought you were in jail!"  
  
"Oh... Well, I made *ahem* some deals and I managed to get released only on  
one condition.  
  
"What?" the bewildered tekken asked.  
  
Chou adverted his eyes from the ice blue shade of Soujiro's and instead  
stared at the ground, to hide the sudden blush of embarrassment that  
invaded his cheeks.. "I have to work for the government..."  
  
"Hah! Really?! Shishio-sama wouldn't be happy to hear that..."  
  
"S'okay... I'm leavin' as soon as I find anything more interestin'.  
  
"He'll be glad to hear that."  
  
"So whatcha doin' over here?"  
  
"Well I..."  
  
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of another familiar  
face in the crowd ahead of them.  
  
"Yumi-san?" Soujiro said in a confused tone.  
  
"Um... Soujiro? You okay?"  
  
"Hmm?" Soujiro turned to the tall broom-haired man, then back to where he  
saw his now deceased friend. Who was gone, as he expected. 'Wow, my  
imagination is getting the better of me!' he assumed. But still, he had  
that sickening quenching feeling in the pit of his stomach. 'What is this  
feeling? Is it fear? No... it couldn't be... I never feel fear. Not since...  
back then...'  
  
"Soujiro?" said Chou, who was impatiently waiting for his young friend to  
tell him what he saw. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh... uh... Nothing really. I just thought I saw something... It doesn't  
matter. Well anyway, ever since Himura-san beat me, I truly wondered who  
held the right answer. Shishio-sama, or Himura-san. So I decided that I  
should figure out the answer myself, by traveling around Japan for ten  
years." He said half-heartedly, while thinking of where he would rest  
that night. 'Maybe I'll rest in that inn I passed earlier... I have no  
where else anyway...'  
  
"Well actually Soujiro, It's quite a coincidence that I should run into  
you of all people. Actually, I'm 'sposed ta catch ya and put ya in jail,  
cause ya worked for Shishio-sama and all, but, well, as a favor to an old  
friend, I'll forget I saw ya." Chou winked while telling the prodigy.  
Then, the broom-haired sword-collector heard a whistle, and turned his  
head to find police men searching for him. "Well I gotta go, I'm plannin'  
ter live in Kyoto for a while. Ya know, as a reminder. And don' worry  
Soujiro-kun, I do plan on spreadin' Shishio's teachin's. I'll probably  
never see you again, huh... Awell... all good things gotta pass sometime.  
Sayonara! It's been fun! And if ya ever want ta visit, my door is always  
open. Good luck on yer journey!" And with that, Katana-Gari no Chou left  
for Kyoto.  
  
Soujiro, now getting a little sleepy, due to the fact that it was already  
past eleven, decided to visit the inn one more time. The inn taker was  
happy to have Soujiro stay, for there was a large decrease in business  
lately. Offered a room for half price, Soujiro happily, as always,  
accepted and went off to check out his room. 'Wow! I've never been in an  
inn alone before! Usually Shishio-sama or Yumi-san went with me... Oh well  
no point in being retrospective. Just spend the night here and leave  
tomorrow morning.'  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The next day, Soujiro woke bright and early, around 5:00 in the morning,  
paid his bill (with the money Shishio-sama gave him before he died), and  
left for a new place. He spent three weeks roaming  
Around the perilous mountains atop of the friendly city of Osaka, and  
later, when he later decided that he might be  
  
hungry, he  
stopped at a small restaurant on top of the mountain. "I'll have... some  
tea and mochi please!" said the smiling assassin, remembering the last  
time he had mochi. It was with Kamatari and Shishio-sama, ::snicker:: and  
let's just say that was when Kamatari learned she didn't like mochi very  
much. And also when Shishio-sama learned he should never give her mochi  
again, for his clothes' sakes. We had to buy him a new robe right after...  
hee hee... those were good times.' As he was munching his sweets, he  
suddenly felt a cold chill. Like if someone was talking about him. He  
looked out to see if he could find anyone, but instead he found a road he  
didn't see before. 'Perfect' he thought. After he paid his bill, he asked  
the old woman who owned the restaurant,  
  
"'Mam, could you tell me where this road leads?"  
  
Oh that one?" she replied, "I'm not sure exactly but I think it leads  
north."  
  
He thought about that for a moment. "Well its summer so it's gonna' get  
warm soon... perfect!" He said, with the sun shining upon his smiling  
face.  
  
And thus, Soujiro the tekken left for Aizu. Or so he thought. After about  
6 hours of wandering around an extremely dark forest, and passing the  
same bush around 50 times, Soujiro figured that he might be lost. Every  
direction he went seemed to bring him only to... more trees. To the left... a  
tree. To the right... a tree. Behind... a squirrel. And in front... another  
tree. "Isn't there anything around here that isn't a tree?!" he wondered.  
Just then, the "sad puppy-dog" faced squirrel said, "Don't I count for  
something?" Only to remain ignored. (Do squirrels talk? Hmm...) So, the  
enraged animal pulled a Yahiko and with eyes glowing white, started  
gnawing on Soujiro's head. It seemed that Soujiro STILL didn't notice,  
for he just stated, "I wish I could have a katana to practice my kata  
again... that was so much fun..." The ignored squirrel began to cry in  
frustration, and with tears streaming down its face, it unsheathed the  
katana strapped on Soujro's hakama and preformed squirrel seppuku.  
Soujiro seemed to at least hear the sound of the sword severing the  
animal's flesh, for he turned behind him to see what happened. There he  
found a dead squirrel lying next to his katana. 'Oh! That's just what I  
needed! And so he picked up the dead squirrel and began practicing his  
kata.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
That night it was hard to sleep. He lay on the grass, facing the sky  
while he kept starring at the stars, waiting for something to happen.  
Something to make him glad he was alive. Glad that all that was close to  
him disinagrated in a second, that all of his thoughts and beliefs were  
stripped from him, stealing all of his identity, just from one short  
phrase. Happy that the only part of himself he still had was his smile.  
But that was one thing he will never let go of. That smile brought him to  
realize the truth. This time, he had to find out his own truth, and he  
was ready to accept what ever came his way. 'Was Shishio-sama right? Was  
the Meiji government useless? And the human hierarchy rated by how strong  
one was? Or was Himura-san correct and human life should never be harmed?  
That's something I'll see for myself soon enough I guess.' He shut his  
eyes, hugging his katana as though he was a child hugging a teddy-bear.  
And with his left hand, he pulled the covers over his shivering  
shoulders. It was then that he finally managed to drift off into slumber  
land.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The morning sun washed gently over his shut eyelids. He opened his eyes  
slowly, and stared into the vast light blue sky. 'Where am I?' he  
wondered. 'Where is Shishio-sama? And Yumi-san?' He looked around this  
unfamiliar place, and saw the bluebirds humming in the trees, the grass  
he sat upon and his katana. It was then that he remembered. 'Oh yeah.  
They're gone.' That wasn't the first time he woke up like this. In fact,  
this was how he woke up every morning since their death's. Why couldn't  
he just get used to it? He stretched his arms and began to roll up his  
blanket. Making sure no one was around; he slowly took off his sleeping  
yukata and switched it with his day gi and hakama. As He slipped on his  
white dress shirt, he realized that there were many tears in the  
material. 'That looks beyond repair...' he thought, 'I guess its time for  
some new clothes...' None the less, he slipped the battered clothes over  
his shoulders and set of to the nearest town.  
  
Soujiro searched around this small town, Nagoya he believed it was  
called, for a seamstress. Searching the city at least ten times, he  
guessed that this town was to poor to own one, and pondered buying the  
material and making it himself. If its one thing living with Shishio-sama  
taught him, it was how to kill. Opps! I meant how to sew. Yes, maybe it  
was Yumi-san who taught him and not Shishio-sama, but none the less, he  
had learned. Now all he needed was the material. He stepped into the  
small, cobweb-full shop that looked at least 50 years old. Soujiro  
wondered how the old thing managed to remain standing at all, with all  
the creaking it made just to walk in. "Oh well" he sighed, "Even this is  
better than nothing." He looked around the small shop, finding beautiful  
silk kimonos gis and hakamas hanging on one side, and battered torn  
garments on the other. Soujiro wondered why they would even bother  
keeping the old dirty clothes, but it wasn't his business, so he didn't  
think about it any longer. He walked to the counter, and asked a young  
woman behind it, who had her back facing him.  
  
"Excuse me..."  
  
"Hmm?" The woman turned around, revealing a beautiful, pale face that  
reminded him so vividly of a porcelain doll. Her raven hair was waist  
length, and it hung loosely around her shoulders, bouncing with utmost  
grace as she turned her torso towards the bewildered tekken. Her eyes  
were a brilliant shade of emerald, and shone brightly with the lamplight  
that illuminated her face, but there was something missing about her ki.  
Her voice was soft and gentle, but filled with a hidden sorrow.  
  
Soujiro was too surprised by her beautiful features to reply. All he  
could mutter was an astounded, "uhh..."  
  
"What is it you wanted?" She asked again as quietly as before.  
  
"Oh... uh... how expensive would a new gi and hakama be?" He asked nervously.  
  
"Depends which one you want." She replied apathetically.  
  
Soujiro looked at the arrangement of clothes hanging by the store window.  
He picked out a light blue gi with dark blue trimming, and a dark blue  
hakama. Much like his old clothing in fact. He guessed it matched him the  
best.  
  
When he brought them to the counter, the young woman starred into his  
blue eyes, and asked him, "Are you a rurouni?"  
  
"A rurouni?" Soujiro thought about it for a while. 'A rurouni like what  
Himura-san became after the Bakumatsu? Wandering with no definite  
destination, with no more possessions than a sword and the clothes on his  
back?' When he thought about this, he came to one conclusion. "Yes. I  
Am."  
  
"Oh... Than... do you mind... bringing me along on your next journey? I need to  
get out of this place."  
  
"Um... sure... Why?  
  
"...I can only tell you If I know I can trust you. And I don't yet."  
  
"Then I will get to know you, and then I'll let you judge."  
  
"I'll look forward to it."  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Nayami."  
  
Then Soujiro nodded, and left the small shop with his new garments. He  
set out to find an inn, for he decided to stay there for a little longer  
than he first intended.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It had been two weeks since he first met Nayami. They had met every day  
by the river, and began to learn more about each other with each visit.  
Soujiro couldn't understand why, but he felt that he was starting to...  
like her? Nah. Impossible. Not him. He's never liked anyone before. The  
only comfort he had ever needed was his katana. But then again, he was 18  
now. But maybe he just thought of her as a friend. He didn't really  
know. All he knew was that she was his only friend now.  
  
Although that everything they discussed was cheerful, for some strange  
reason she always seemed... depressed. It confused him. Not once since the  
entire time he had known her did she smile, let alone laugh. He first  
thought that she was just a gloomy person. Now he wasn't so sure. It must  
have been strange to see the two together. The woman who never smiled,  
and the boy who never ceased to do so. They were an odd pair indeed. 


	2. A sakura's lullaby

Innocence Becomes experience Chapter 2- The Sakura's Lullaby  
  
By Misao's Angel  
  
One early morning, Soujiro woke up bright and early, and set out to meet  
Nayami by the river, like every other morning. So he dressed into his  
ordinary day clothes, and set out.  
  
He spent the entire walk to the admired river staring thoughtfully at the  
beauty of the cherry blossoms, and thought of how much they resembled  
her. Everything seemed to remind him of her recently. The birds singing  
their soft songs in the mornings, the cat that would always purr outside  
the window of his room in the inn, and, of course, the stars, would. They  
could be seen so well in this part of the country, for there were no tall  
buildings in such a small town yet to obstruct the view. They had shown  
so brightly, but they always seemed to lack something. What that thing  
was, he wasn't sure. But he knew something was missing. Just like her.  
He'd look at her, and think she was perfect, but there was something  
about her that didn't make sense. Something he couldn't quite put his  
finger on. But even with that fault, he loved her all the same. Yes,  
love. He didn't know when she first made him feel that emotion, but... yes,  
it was there.  
  
When he reached his desired destination, he noticed that since the first  
time that he had known her, she hadn't beaten him there. 'That's  
strange...' He thought with a small grin. 'I've never managed to beat her  
here before... I always thought that she would never sleep just so she  
could get here before me. But here I am, and she is no where to be seen.'  
At first, that amused him. But after an hour had passed and she still  
hadn't arrived, he began to grow worried.  
  
'I don't know what to do...' he mused. 'But I promised her I would wait, no  
matter how long for her, so wait I shall.'  
  
While Soujiro stared into the river, he decided that he would spend this  
time brooding about the past few months. Memories started to flow into  
his mind, with no control over which he were to remember. It started with  
the day they met, in the small, ancient shop that she worked for. Then it  
moved on to the weeks after, and words of conversations returned to him  
after so long of an absence. He remembered the song she had sung to him,  
that seemed so familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it  
before. He remembered how beautiful her voice was, so clear but gentle,  
and so soothing. He remembered the first time they sat down by the river,  
when they both discovered the carved rocks underneath the river brush...  
but none of these memories were very clear. He couldn't recall specific  
colors, and her face was always hidden by a mysterious shadow. And these  
memories brought a slight dizzy feeling to him. He began to grow tired,  
and he lay down near the shadow of a nearby oak tree. He then dosed off  
into a quiet slumber.  
  
Soujiro looked around. He was still by the oak tree, okay he remembered  
that, but he felt as though he left something somewhere but couldn't  
figure out what. Then he heard it. Quiet, but a wonderful melody... so  
familiar, and sweet. Where had he heard it? Oh yes. Nayami sang that to  
me just yesterday. Such a beautiful song... but for some reason, he  
couldn't hear the words. He couldn't even remember them even. He just  
heard the melody. He turned his heavy head the direction to where the  
music was coming from. But instead of Nayami singing it, as he expected,  
another lady he knew was. One he never expected to see again. The woman  
singing that wonderful song was...  
  
Yumi.  
  
'What?!! There is no way she is here! She's dead.. I know that... I buried  
her! But then, he looked again at his surroundings. He didn't know why he  
hadn't noticed the purple leaves sprouting from the lime green branches  
before, or the slightly swaying red grass he was sitting on but, at least  
now he knew. It was a dream. He sat up straight, stretched his back, and  
began to lift himself up to walk to Yumi. The only thing is, once he got  
there he realized that it really wasn't Yumi. It was... Nayami?! Why did  
Yumi turn into Nayami? Why was Yumi singing Nayami's song?  
  
Just then, the world started to blur. The trees, grass, sky and river all  
mixed in a colorful myriad of color, and reassembled itself into a small,  
western-styled room. There was an old, chipped dresser in one corner, and  
on it were many written documents in very neat and legible calligraphy.  
The walls had very extraordinary and beautiful paintings on them; a  
samurai committing seppuku, next to an elegant white mare, prancing over  
a field of grass and flowers into a pit of dead bodies, and an army of  
demons eating a banquette of human organs. There was a large, king-sized  
bed in the corner of the room, with the sheets and blankets neatly made,  
and was respectively defying Feng Shui by facing a large, oval, human-  
sized mirror. The hard wood floor was recently polished, reflecting the  
light given off from the antique chandelier hanging on the white  
plastered ceiling. To Soujiro, this room was unbelievably familiar.  
  
This was -his- room, in Shishio's estate. And on the neatly-made bed,  
was him or rather, the former him, for it seemed that he was only a young  
child at the time. And sitting on the bed next to him was an 18-year-old  
Yumi, reading him a bedtime story.  
  
"So then Shishio-sama killed him. But lucky for us, his men retreated in  
fear after seeing Shishio-sama's strength. And thus, we live now, alive  
and happy today." She said, in a very soft and gentle voice. She storked  
the young Soujirou's head.  
  
"So... how was that Sou-kun?"  
  
"I'm still not tired Yumi-neesan... can you tell me another one?"  
  
"Hmm... I'm out of stories I'm afraid. But I have some thing better. Listen  
very carefully Sou-kun. If you ever need my help, whether I'm dead or  
alive, just sing this song and I will come to get you. You must never  
forget it."  
  
"Alright Yumi-neesan"  
  
And when Yumi opened her green lips to sing, it seemed like the whole  
world had stopped.  
  
'That song!' the older Soujiro thought. 'That's Nayami's song!'  
  
But this time, the words could be heard also.  
  
"A summer day brings warmth and smiles,  
  
And happiness to roam around,  
  
But these are lies, just a fragile cover  
  
For the real pain that lies inside,  
  
But humans are meant to be in pain forever.  
  
The true happiness lies in the winter,  
  
Where the bitter cold needs no lies,  
  
A kiss from ice hurts, but is not meant to hinder,  
  
And unlike the summer, it never dies,  
  
It can be relied on, even if it's not beautiful.  
  
If a human heart has real emotions,  
  
Why must we lie to ourselves?  
  
I don't want someone with false motions,  
  
For no human is perfect, no feeling is mutual,  
  
But I would rather know the truth then be proud of a lie.  
  
But to me you are the winter snow,  
  
Soft and gentle but cold all the same,  
  
To me you are a valuable treasure,  
  
And will always be my heart's rain,  
  
The rain to wash away my tears. "  
  
'Yumi's lullaby, is Nayami's song?!!"!!?'  
  
Thanx for reading chapter two! Sorry about this chapter's boringness. It  
is to set the mood and story line for chapter three, which will be the  
beginning of the big story arch. Thank you for sticking around! Reviews  
are most appreciated!!!  
-Misao's Angel  
  



End file.
